Friday, December 25, 2015

Want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays make sure to enjoy the time with family and loved ones. As well as peace and happiness this holiday season,
and a healthy and prosperous new year. Thank you all for your support, positive thoughts and friendship. Hope you got that Holy Grail as a gift this year.

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Today's giveaway is a beautiful book The Art of JohnAlvin,
celebrating the work of the iconic artist who painted movie posters for
over 130 films, including Jurassic Park, Blade Runner, The Lion King and
E.T.

John Alvin’s movie poster art is among the most iconic of the last 40 years, from Disney films such as Beauty and the Beast and Pinocchio, to Empire of the Sun, Gremlins, Blazing Saddles, Predator, and Star Wars 30th anniversary posters. This book not only collects some of Alvin’s finest work, but also includes previously unseen comprehensives and in progress sketches. Along with packaging for VHS releases.

John Alvin was an American movie artist who painted movie poster art for over 130 films, including E.T., Blade Runner, The Lion King, The Princess Bride and Jurassic Park, as well as the Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and Pirates of the Caribbean film series. He also produced work for Disney Fine Art (Disney character official portraits)

Andrea Alvin is John’s widow, and as an experienced graphic designer, also worked with him in his studio. Andrea Alvin has contributed substantially to the creation of ad campaigns for such movies as: Batman Returns and Batman Forever for Warner Bros., and Pinocchio, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules and The Little Mermaid for Disney Studios.

The book is 160 pages of full color work and it is spectacular.

Now go to the top of the post above the picture and click on comments
or scroll down (depends on how you see this post) to leave a
comment about what your favorite movie is ever.
Don't worry if your comment does not appear immediately I have to
approve them before they are published. I will use the Random Number
Generator to pick a winner. Entries are limited to ONE PER PERSON
PER HOUSEHOLD. Please leave your name with the comment, comments
without names will not be accepted. Entries will be accepted until
11:59 PM PDT Wednesday December 23 and the winner will be announced
later on Thursday.

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

It's the holiday season, a time for giving so there will be a couple of giveaways this week.

Today is a book Star Trek fans will love. Star Trek: The Art of Juan Ortiz book, collecting together 80 movie-style posters, one for each and every episode of Star Trek: The Original Series. The images feature retro-style art that recalls 1960s-era posters, pulp novel covers, comic books and advertisements.

What if every Star Trek: The Original Series episode was a movie event? What would the movie poster look like? This was the inspiration to develop a one-of-a-kind set of images for the series that launched a franchise. Artist Juan Ortiz has created unique retro-style art with the look of a 60s movie poster, comic book, pulp novel cover or advertisement, one each for all 80 episodes.

Juan Ortiz is an avid Star Trek enthusiast and an accomplished artist that set out to create an art program representing each of the 80 episodes from the Star Trek: The Original Series. The artwork embodies his passion for the series, the transformational Sixties, and the visceral reaction generated from each episode.

Since 1985, Juan has been an illustrator/designer for Disney and Warner Bros. and has penciled covers for DC Comics’ Looney Tunes and Tiny Toons magazines. He is also the publisher of his own comic book series, Silver Comics, seen in the Disney/Dreamworks release I Am Number Four (produced by Steven Spielberg) as well as The Skull Army, a macabre/detective pulp, featuring his creation (named) The End.

The book is 112 full color pages with reproduced sketches, notes and details on each episode as well.

Now go to the top of the post above the picture and click on comments
or scroll down (depends on how you see this post) to leave a
comment about which Star Trek character is your favorite.
Don't worry if your comment does not appear immediately I have to
approve them before they are published. I will use the Random Number
Generator to pick a winner. Entries are limited to ONE PER PERSON
PER HOUSEHOLD. Please leave your name with the comment, comments
without names will not be accepted. Entries will be accepted until
11:59 PM PDT Tuesday December 22 and the winner will be announced
later on Wednesday.

In case you missed it over the weekend, 1xRun's man Naturel unveiled his new Guernica x Star Wars mash up artwork for a new track from legendary producer Timbaland and Illmind. Along with The Force (available as a timed box office edition + oversized 36 x 18 Inch edition) Naturel will continue to roll out new Star Wars themed prints as Star Wars continues to roll on at number one at the box office. This past weekend the movie raked in $238 million here in the US so Monday at 2:38 1xRUN dropped Naturel's Air Boba Fett in 3 custom sizes. One of them is even on aluminum.

The print by Ravi Zupa is an homage/reference to Mad Max - Here is what Ravi has to say about it

“IT WILL BE A HARD DAY”

Much has been written about the feminist themes that run through “Mad Max Fury Road”. It’s worth giving some attention to some of the others too.

At one point a character named the “People eater” opens his ledger where he has carefully recorded the heavy expenditures of this short war. “We’re down 30,000 units of Gasoline, 19 canisters of Nitro, 12 assault bikes, 7 pursuit vehicles…And now sir, you have us stuck in a quagmire” This he says while the wheels of their vehicles are stuck in an actual quagmire.

Soon after, a character named “The Bullet Farmer” who wears a bandoleer of 50 caliber bullets draped on his head like a judge’s powdered wig is sent to safely retrieve the “assets” (the women that are the entire reason for this expensive war) and after loosing his vision he fires two identical machine guns at them with indiscriminate abandon. “I am the scales of Justice. Conductor of the choir of death.” This he shouts while wearing the same blindfold that Lady Justice wears.

To me the most compelling and carefully hidden theme is that of non-violence. More specifically a forceful and powerful form of non-violence. When Splendid is handed a weapon and urgently ordered to reload it. She looks down at the gun resting on her pregnant belly and she hesitates and says that she can’t. The moment passes quickly and another woman impatiently takes over making Splendid seem inept or overwhelmed. She is neither of these however (evidenced moments later when she uses her own body and the life of her fetus as a shield to protect her companions). Rather, she is taking a profound ethical stance. A refusal to carry out violence at any level, even the justifiable act of loading a gun that will be fired by someone else. A refusal that a pregnant woman might very well be entitled to.

This film has, like other great pieces, transcended the confines of genre fiction and earned a seat as a fine art masterpiece. Not unlike “2001: A Space Odyssey” and “Slaughterhouse 5” (the book only).

“It Will Be A Hard Day” is my way of giving a shout out to such an accomplishment. It describes yet another theme in the film. I’ve used the overly dramatic poses and the line sensibilities of German Renaissance print artists like Albrecht Durer and Hans Holbein. - ravizupa.com

Sorry this is a little late. We have a winner for the Scott Campbell Great Showdowns book and it is Piratesprayer with comment #12. What the hell is a Piratesprayer, I have no clue ? Anyway shoot me your address and I will be mailing the book out to you. My email is to the right.

Friday, December 18, 2015

This week it's not a poster for Free Friday Giveaway but a really cool book, Scott Campbell's Great Showdowns The Return.

Following the bestselling first volume, artist Scott C’s could not help himself and created more strangely good- natured confrontations between his favorite movie characters.

Marty vs Biff. The Tramp vs a shoe. George Bailey vs his wonderful life, and hordes more… Scott Campbell’s inimitable Great Showdowns return, bigger, better and more sequel-er than ever, with even more charming confrontations between his favorite movie heroes, villains and, occasionally, inanimate objects.

Be it Leonidas vs the Persian Empire or Mookie vs the Right Thing, there’s always a good-natured struggle to be had. These memorable moments of melee deserve to be celebrated — again! Behold, the Return of The Great Showdowns Featuring a foreword by Edgar Wright.

Scott Campbell's watercolor paintings can be found in magazines, comics, children’s books, video games, and galleries around the world. His projects include illustrations for the children’s books Zombie In Love and East Dragon, West Dragon, and art direction for the video games Psychonauts and Brutal Legend from Double Fine Productions.

"Do you like art? Do you like movies? I challenge you to NOT enjoy these
delightful and challenging face-offs - let's go, right here, right now" -
Bob Odenkirk

Now go to the top of the post above the picture and click on comments
or scroll down (depends on how you see this post) to leave a
comment about which Showdown is your favorite.
Don't worry if your comment does not appear immediately I have to
approve them before they are published. I will use the Random Number
Generator to pick a winner. Entries are limited to ONE PER PERSON
PER HOUSEHOLD. Please leave your name with the comment, comments
without names will not be accepted. Entries will be accepted until
11:59 PM PDT Saturday December 19 and the winner will be announced
on Sunday.

Last night 1xRUN did a surprise release of two prints by Naturel to celebrate the opening of Star Wars A Force Awakens.

"Like many Star Wars fans eagerly awaiting the next installment of the
Star Wars Saga, I took the last few weeks and caught up on all the
previous movies leading up to Episode 7. While watching the movies, I
decided to create my own ode to one of my favorite movies in this Cubist
inspired piece entitled "The Force". The composition was loosely based
off of Picasso's Guernica, and each of the main character's story lines
and personality is expressed through how each figure is positioned
throughout the piece." - Naturel

The Box Office Edition is 24 x 12 inches. This Timed Edition will be available beginning Dec. 17th at 7pm EST and will remain on sale until Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens is no longer #1 at the box office, at which time this RUN will be closed and the edition will be set to the number sold.

Obey Giant will be releasing two new posters by Shepard Fairey next week that address a huge problem in this country.

Shepard explains the prints:

“I’m always on board to help out a program that can make something
beautiful out of something so raw and threatening. I think creative
literal transformation is a great metaphor for spiritual transformation
toward peace and harmony. I’m collaborating with the Caliber Foundation
because I wholly believe in the ideology of the organization – to offer
support to victims, families and communities that have been devastated
by illegal gun violence. As a culture we hear about guns all too often,
but there is an insidious amount of ILLEGAL guns that are making their
way into people’s hands without any regulation or control.” – Shepard

Raise The Caliber & Rise Above posters are both 18 x 24 inch screen print on cream speckle tone paper. Signed and
numbered edition of 350 each. A portion
of the proceeds will be donated to the Caliber Foundation.

David D'Andrea has a new poster from the Graveyard show in Portland on sale. The show was December 14, 2015 at the Wonder BallroomScreen printed show edition of 100 Signed and numbered14 x 24" on Cougar Natural paper3 color print with split fountain "G" is hand colored

On Friday Mondo will be releasing the second round of posters from their 'SNKIT. BAMF. TWHIP: A Celebration of Marvel Comics' gallery show. The show runs through Saturday and gallery hours are 12PM - 6PM. Stop by and check it out if you're in Austin!

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Jermaine Rogers was commissioned to create the poster for the final date of the recent tour by the amazing band PUSCIFER, the side project of TOOL front-man Maynard James Keenan. It was the second print that Jermaine created for the tour. This tour was quite a road-show, featuring luchadors (Mexican wrestlers), sideshow entertainment, and of course the amazing musical performance by the band. The amazing artist, ZOLTRON organized an amazing group of hand-picked artists for the Puscifer 2015 tour poster series. Maynard requested that participating artists consider incorporating some of his current vices into the imagery of their print: namely the Mexican wrestling theme, wine, and the desert.

Keeping this in mind, for the final print of the tour Jermaine chose to offer an image with throwback appeal. Nearly 20 years ago, Jermaine created a print for a 1990's era show by Maynard's other band, Tool. The now iconic 'devil boxer' imagery provided Jermaine with an idea.

He mentions:

'So, I decided to have some fun and create a throwback image...a nod to an older piece which I made nearly 20 years ago for one of Maynard's other bands. It seemed like a nice way to end the Puscifer 2015 poster series, and a lovely way to prepare for what Maynard is about to get into next. Our svelte, red guy with the sharp horns has taken off the boxing gloves & pulled on the luchador mask, these days. Apparently, he's decided that his training routine needs to get a bit more 'hands on'...anything to get a leg-up in the Judgement Day 'brawl-for-it-all'. That said, he still knows how to take a break: a quiet moment with a smoke and a glass of wine. And not just any old swill, either. Nothing but the good stuff. He's got class.' - jr

Printed by the mighty hands at Lady Lazarus Press, this piece measures 11x30 inches on gallery white stock. It features rich screen print inks (including a metallic). From a very limited edition of only 75 signed and numbered pieces. - 50.00 plus shipping/handling

PUSCIFER (2015 Arizona) ANTIQUE GOLD VARIANT- Printed by the mighty hands at Lady Lazarus Press, this piece measures 11x30 inches and is printed on Antique Gold stardream metallic stock. It features rich screen print inks (including a metallic). From a very limited edition signed and numbered by Jermaine. - 80.00 plus shipping/handling

- PUSCIFER (2015 Arizona) 'SWEAT' FOIL VARIANT- Printed by the mighty hands at Lady Lazarus Press, this piece measures 11x30 inches and is printed on 'Sweat' water-drop foil stock. It features rich screen print inks (including a metallic). From a very limited edition signed and numbered by Jermaine. - 100.00 plus shipping/handling

All of the above items (and some surprises according to JR) will be available on Thursday December 17th, 2015 at 3:00 PM EASTERN (12 NOON PACIFIC) on JermaineRogers.com

There is no slowing down Dark Hall Mansion, as they will have a new poster release in partnership with Warner Bros. Consumer Products. Dark Hall Mansion is pleased to release a very special holiday treat, this stunning officially licensed limited edition "The Polar Express" prints by leading contemporary artist, Nicolas Delort. The prints will go on sale this Friday, December 18, 2015! "The Polar Express," based on Chris Van Allsburg's children’s book. Nicolas' masterful use of scale and wonder brings this gorgeous film to life once again by taking the viewer on this unforgettable train ride! Board "The Polar Express," grab your hot chocolate ("Hot, hot, yeah we got it!!") and enjoy the Northern Lights as you're swept away to the North Pole where the most gorgeous Christmas tree welcomes you to the next stop on your journey—to meet Santa!!

DHM is proud to again welcome back artist Nicolas Delort whose beautiful print incorporates so many of the elements that make the "The Polar Express" such a singular and magical film with a message that is timeless, perhaps more so now than ever—if you just believe. From his composition, lighting, and nods, such as a certain rooftop rider and wafting golden ticket, Nicolas brings home "The Polar Express" with elegance, beauty, but above all, the emotion of the season.

"Parallax symbolizes the different optical view or impression a person
can have. Optical differences, and the differentiation thereof. A small
change, can make a huge difference. Also called The parallax effect.
Optical illusion and there is more that meets the eye. A periscopic view
of the circle of life with the inner and outer challenges we all face.

The original collage was part of my recent Trifecta show. For that show I
created 5 larger sized hand cut collages. This was a new challenge for
me in size and in detail. The result is an in depth overview of the type
of artwork I’ve created throughout the years and more, but with the
main subject as described earlier." - Handiedan

I love seeing when the printers/artists get their kids involved in the art process. Dan MacAdam's son Cal who is 8 (the newest printer in the Crosshair stable) conceived, designed and screenprinted his first ever print titled Metallic Dragon, and wishes for it to benefit those fleeing violence in Syria. He will donate money raised from sales of Metallic Dragon to the American Refugee Committee. This art print was printed with sparkly metallic light green ink and is available in red and purple variants, limited to 23 and 14 copies respectively each one measures 19.5 x 12 inches.

And no that is not Dan holding a 36 x 24 inch print. (Joke courtesy of Adam Pobiak)

It's always great getting emails from new artists and sometimes they turn out to be really really big time that I did not know about previously. Such as the case last night when I got an email from Shai Dahan about his print release today.

Here is a little about Shai in his own words:

I am a contemporary artist and muralist originally from the US but now living in Sweden.

I have painted murals in Poland, England, South Africa, Germany and many more and exhibited around the world as well.

I
am also the curator and founder of No Limit Festival in Sweden which is
a Street-Art festival that happens every year featuring a wonderful
group of artists.

My artwork has always been a
combination of fine art mixed with my history in graff culture. As I
developed my technique and style over the years, I always try to keep
some form of "graffiti" into my artwork as it is a way to keep part of
where I started in my work. Not just as a reminder for myself but also
for those who enjoy the artwork. I feel that I could have done one or
the other (fine art or graff art) but I love the hybrid combination as
it gives something rather unique.

As for this particular series of prints, I have long been painting horses. Specially since I moved to Sweden 5 years ago.

I
recently began exploring a new series of painting traditional
Equestrian art (like the ones you find at country club with a horse in a
meadow type painting) and wanted to remake those but with more of an
urban feel. Horses have always been strong, beautiful and adored for
centuries in art. I feel now people have begun to develop the same
appreciation for the street-art and graffiti art culture so it is a nice
way to tie the two things I love painting the most.

Shai will be releasing two new prints today Thursday, December 17th.

The prints are of two new paintings recently created. Each artwork is of
a horse with graffiti patterns and colors. A beautiful combination of
equestrian world and the urban city colors.

Each print can be purchased individually OR you can actually purchase them both as a bundle with a discount on the total.

The prints are limited only to 23 each. Printed on Hahnemühle William
Turner 310g paper and are each signed and numbered. They are 50 cm X 64
cm in size. The price for each print works out to around $145 each.

The prints will become available for sale today at 12:00 noon (Sweden local time) which is 6AM EST.